Chapter Three

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When you heard that Unalaq, Tonraq, Korra, Mako, Bolin, Eska, and Desna were all headed to the center of the South Pole to open a spirit portal, you opted to count yourself in. Although there were several reasons for this – you thought it'd be cool to see the Southern version of the Northern Lights, as Unalaq mentioned, and you enjoyed any opportunity to see the Avatar in action – you couldn't deny that the main reason was that it was an excuse to spend time with Desna.

The two of you had spent the last couple days together, as Unalaq prepared for the trip to the spirit portal, and it had been nothing short of wonderful. He had taken you on a date each night to the nicest restaurants in the South, and you spent the entire evening in each other's company. In private, you had begun to see little glimpses of Desna that no one else ever got to see, like listening to him tell jokes (which definitely needed some work, but the fact that they were so awful made them funny), and hearing him laugh at yours, and you cherished every moment of it.

So, you found yourself beside an arctic camel, checking to be sure you had all the necessary supplies, bundled up and ready to head to the spirit portal. You had been curiously observing the exchange between Unalaq and Tonraq when Bolin sped up to the party, in a shiny new electric sled, which was apparently courtesy of Varrick. As Eska walked over to speak with him, you looked around and realized you were short one arctic camel. Conveniently, Desna had walked up to you as you came to this realization, having returned to his usual floor-length coat and loose hair for the day's activities.

"Hey Des, we're missing a camel. There isn't one for you and Eska."

"Correct. Eska informed me this morning that she would be accompanying Bolin on his sled, so I had hoped to join you – if that would be agreeable to you."

"Of course," you said with a grin. Desna then waterbent a few steps made of ice, to make it easier for you to board the arctic camel. You then held your hand out to him, which he took, as he situated himself behind you. The close proximity made a blush form on your cheeks, and you were grateful that he was unable to see it. With a small flick of his wrist, the small, icy staircase disappeared, and the company set out toward the spirit portal.

The trip was mostly silent, although you exchanged a few short conversations with Bolin and Mako, while Korra kept to the front of the brigade with Unalaq. Desna mostly remained quiet, although you had grown accustomed to his intermittent bouts of silence around others. At one point, in between chats with your friends, your camel momentarily lost its footing and lurched to the side. Reflexively, Desna grabbed your waist to maintain balance, before immediately withdrawing his hands as though he'd touched a hot stove. Considering the fact that he had touched your waist in private, you realized he must deem it an inappropriate form of public affection, or fear that you thought that.

You smiled before turning to him slightly to say, "You can leave 'em there, if you want. I don't bite. Well, unless you want me to, but that won't be happening for a little while."

Oh, how much you enjoyed seeing a blush on his face for a change.

Flustered and still silent, Desna gently placed his hands on either side of your waist, although his arms and body were still rigid, clearly still unsure of initiating such contact with you around others. Hoping it would get him to loosen up, you scooted backwards to negate the few inches separating you two, so that your back was against his chest, and you leaned against him a little. A few minutes later, you felt his posture relax, and he wrapped both arms around your waist, holding you close to him.

The party halted as Korra's polar bear dog Naga began growling at something in the distance. As the mist cleared, we realized all saw a handful of dark spirits watching us. Tonraq wasted no time in declaring that we should keep moving, and that we need to find a place to set up camp.

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